Your prize, Terry Roy? A one-week trip to France as the guest of La Varenne, the famous French cooking school, at its new Chateau du Fey classes in Joigny. The trip includes daily hands-on classes, meals, lodging and round- trip transportation.

Not bad, considering that she had made the dish only once before.

``I had something like it once at Stratton`s restaurant in Los Angeles,`` says Roy, 66, of the Near North Side, a retired secretary and avid gardener.

Second place and $500 goes to Paul Zakula, 32, of Lansing, a high school social studies teacher and football coach, for his Jake`s grilled salmon with King Neptune stuffing.

Third place, $250, is won by Dorothy DeVries-Wolf, 35, of Palatine, co-owner of an automotive tool supply company, for her tuna fillets Creole.

The two other finalists, each winners of the Encyclopedia of Fish Cookery, are Mary Pat Buerckholtz, 33, of Chicago, a job placement consultant, for her red snapper with fennel bulbs and plum tomatoes, and Sandy Hangleitner, 49, of Deerfield, a writer who flew back a day early from a Florida vacation to cook up her New Orleans shrimp. Prizes are courtesy of Chicago Fish House.

THE WINNER

TERRY ROY`S COHO CATCHES FIRST PRIZE COHO BERTEAU

Two to four servings

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 10 minutes

1/3 cup butter

1 avocado, peeled, finely chopped

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1 red bell pepper, roasted, peeled, julienned; see note

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 pound baby coho fillets; see note

4 to 6 pea pods, julienned

1. Mix butter, avocado, lemon juice and red pepper in small saucepan.

2. Heat oil in large skillet. Add fish fillets and pea pods in single layer. Saute over medium-high heat until fish almost flakes, about 2 minutes a side. Remove to serving platter.

Note: To roast a red pepper, hold the whole pepper over a gas flame or put under broiler, turning, until skin is charred on all sides. Put pepper into paper bag for 5 minutes. Remove from bag and peel away charred skin under running water. Remove core.

Note: Whole baby coho may be used instead of fillets; cooking time will be slightly longer.

JAKE`S GRILLED SALMON WITH KING NEPTUNE STUFFING

About 10 servings

Preparation time: 1 hour

Grilling time: 30 minutes

For stuffing:

3 cloves garlic, minced

3 stalks celery, diced

1 pound mushrooms, chopped

1 medium red bell pepper, diced

4 tablespoons butter

1 pound fresh spinach

1/2 pound hot Italian sausage

1/2 cup raw brown rice

1/2 cup raw wild rice

1/4 cup olive oil

1 cup chicken broth or stock

1 cup white wine

1 bottle (8 ounces) clam juice

1/2 pound small shrimp, shelled, deveined

1/2 pound scallops

1 tablespoon butter

1/2 pound schucked oysters, rinsed, drained

5 green onions, chopped

1/4 cup minced fresh parsley

Basting sauce:

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup lemon juice

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon minced fresh dill or 1 teaspoon dried

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon white pepper

Fish:

4 large, fresh salmon fillets, about 4 pounds total

1. For the stuffing, saute garlic, celery, mushrooms and bell pepper in 4 tablespoons butter in large skillet until soft but not brown, about 10 minutes. Remove to large mixing bowl.